Customisation is key
An increase in customisation, an abundance of sophisticated decorative techniques and novel applicators provide the market with additional stimuli, according to Etma, the European tube manufacturers association. For certain tube diameters there are relatively long delivery times. The trend towards ever-smaller lot sizes, which has been continuing unabated for many years, is also resulting in expensive and time-consuming changeover efforts of tube manufacturers and thereby making optimal line utilisation more difficult. Furthermore, the tube producers are facing rising costs for aluminium, lacquers, printing inks and transport services.
A look at the latest tube developments
Lierac Laboratories have selected the Tense Tube from Cosmogen for their eye gel. Its applicator, which is made from zamac, improves the anti-puffiness and concealer action of the formula. Its pink-pearl PP cannula, which matches the sleeve, gives a chic touch to this eye care product.
www.cosmogen.fr, www.lierac.com
Hoffmann Neopac is expanding its range of Polyfoil dropper tubes with additional sizes for the cosmetics, pharmaceutical and food industries. The unbreakable tubes provide a clean and hygienic application at the selected location. In addition, the tubes offer a high level of product protection and good dosing capabilities. Polyfoil tubes have a thin, integrated aluminium layer. This protects the product from air, water and chemical influences. On the one hand, this ensures that no active ingredient evaporates from the product into the packaging. The migration of printing inks and varnishes into the product is also prevented. The lateral welding seam is completely covered through the interlocking coating. This means that the tube can be evenly printed all over. The coating also provides stability and restorative force. The dropper tubes can be used for products such as liquid make-up, hair care, dental gels, nail care products, free samples and travel sets. The product range currently is suitable for filling volumes ranging from 3 to 50ml.
Neopac’s Picea wood tube now has even more renewable material in the tube body and shoulder. The spruce wood used for the tube stems comes from Germany. The tube surface can easily be printed. The material is recyclable. It is suitable for natural cosmetics and skin care products in general.
Amplify is an airless pump-on-a-tube, which offers clean and easy dispensing with a high evacuation rate that allows consumers to access most of the product. Its portable design is perfect for an active lifestyle.
Huhtamaki’s bottle to tube solution is a packaging alternative for the established PP bottles on the market. For the first time there is a laminate tube with a filling volume of up to 400 ml, thus opening up new areas of application. The PP laminate developed by Huhtamaki is completely recyclable as a monomaterial (jacket, lid, shoulder) and is lightweight. According to the manufacturer, it weighs around 20% less than standard PP bottles. In addition, the new tube laminate eliminates the need for labelling because printing can be done directly on the material. In addition, in contrast to conventional PP bottles, it is much easier to empty the contents from these tubes.
Lageentubes’ digital decoration for plastic tubes, in particular, their 360° end-to-end decoration, has no gap or overlap, and allows on-cap printing. Digital decoration allows brands to think about tube decoration in a whole new way, and to design tubes according to the new world of DTS (Direct To Shape) digital decoration.
Pirlo Tubes demonstrates that up to five million unique designs are generated from a single seed file. In the case of personalised tubes, the designs are made up of various elements that can be varied with one another. In both cases, individualised designs are combined with static elements. The possibilities are almost unlimited due to individualisation, since each additional variable increases the number of different designs many times over.
Scandolara Beauty’s range of airless pumps combines the handling comfort of a collapsible tube with the elegance of professional applicators to enhance the product range in face care, make-up, eye and lip treatments. The most recent applicator additions are a dropper and a sponge applicator for blushes or foundations.
Optika Transparent Flexi-Tubes from Uflex provide aesthetic benefits to brands such as 360-degree printing; the utilisation of the entire tube torso for branding from shoulder to crimp; high definition graphics; imparting metallic effects using advanced registered printing; registered lamination; superior surface finish with matte or glossy effects and electron beam (EBM) coating for ultra-high gloss. The tubes offer customised barrier properties, for instance a combination of polyester, metallised polyester, holographic metallised polyester, aluminium foil, EVOH/nylon; SiOx2-coated or AlOx-coated transparent barrier substrates. The company also offers different anti-counterfeiting features such as multiple lens or single lens security strips. Uflex has adopted a special process that imparts depth to the printing and imagery prominently highlighting the main elements of the brand artwork. The inside and outside seamless printing with metallic effects coupled up with the refractive properties of the transparent Flexi-Tube creates a new visual appeal at the point-of-sale (POS). The use of ultra-clear polyethylene as the innermost substrate further imparts fascinating aesthetics to the flexi-tube. The optical illusion created by printing inside the tube gives distinct visual effects as the gel/liquid gets consumed over a period of time.
Velox’ direct-to-shape digital decoration solution is designed to be a mass production, principal decoration technology, and not just for short runs. Based on a proprietary printing process and ink chemistry, the solution performs in 3 dimensions: full production speed; high quality, and TCO which is low enough to be applicable for long runs, not just short ones.
The 30th anniversary products from Ahava use the Velox IDS 250, the mass production direct-to-shape (DTS) digital decorator for the rigid packaging industry. The collection includes six different tube designs, featuring high-quality portrait images, continuous decoration printed 360 degrees around the tube, and solid vivid colours, a departure from the basic background, logo, and text. The campaign concept is female empowerment depicted in paintings by six local and international painters. Each image reflects the way woman are perceived in the painter’s eye. The Velox technology operates at full production-line speed of up to 250 containers per minute at high quality and 15 simultaneous colours and embellishments, including photorealistic images, tactile embossing, no seam, and tube-to-cap printing.
More about:
You might also be interested in
Biomimetic Boosters
Not all peptides are the same. That is why it is important to know what peptides are, how they work...
Big bags go high-tech
The adoption of laser welding in manufacturing: The newly developed process produces big bags from...
Celebrating packaging
With a new name for the innovation events ADF&PCD and PLD Paris, the trade fair is finally...
Avoiding gaps
In the past two years, manufacturers and formulators have repeatedly worried that supply chain...
